Dirigible airship



Apr.1o,1923.' j 1,451,503

H. A. GoETz DIRIGIBLE AIRSHI P Filed May 14, 1917 sheets-sheep 1 Apr. 10, 1923.

H. A. GOETZ DIRIGIBLE AI-RSHIP Filed My 14, 191? '4 sheets-sheet Apr. 10, 1923.

' 1,451,503 H. A. GOETZ DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP Filed-May 14, l191'? 4 sheets-smet 5 (J7/Q4 l 45 5 7/ 37/55 wifi@ Apr 10, 1923. g y 1,451,503 H. IGOETZ DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP I Filed May 14, 1917 I 4 sheets-shees- Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

HENRY .a eomz, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.'

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP.

Application tied Hay 14,

To all 'whom it may concern:

. Be it knownvthat I, HENRY A. Gon'rz, acitizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Airships,

of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dirigible airships, and more particularly to a new type of such airship in'which the danger of a fall from loss of as is practically eliminated, the frictiona resistance due to wind very greatly reduced, rising and descending made possible without the release of gas or manipulation of ballast, the changing of the course of the airship .readily ac complished without turning thegas container,'and in such a new combination, construction land arrangement of parts as will result in an extremely eilicacious, safe, and economical device.

The types of dirigible airships now-in use are of such bulky construction as to necessarily offer great resistance to the wind and render navigation in them more or less dependent upon the capricious behavior of the wind. This bulky form often results in y the airship beingeither driven entirely out of its course or else able to maintain its course only with extreme great diiiculty.

This diiliculty is ractically overcome in my new type of airs ip by the elimination of the old bulky form and the substitution therefor of a new form which presents a sharp, circular wedge shape edge to the wind.

Another dificulty with the dirigible airships now in use lies in the fact that should the gas envelope become punctured by a projectile, as is so often the case during warfare, the gas will practically all escape and a fatal fall result.v This diiiculty I overcome by the p rovision of a great number of self-contained, individual gas receptacles or units, as a result of which many projectiles could pierce the composite gas container of my new airship and there would still remain sufiicient as t0 prevent a fatal crash to the earth; eac piercing pro'ectile releasing only a small amount of gas rom the one or two units pierced.

Again, in the forms now in use, the turning and maneuvering of the airship is rendered very diiiicult as a result of the great resistance offered by the air to the ylarge and bulky nose and body portion of the air craft;

1917. ,Serial No. 168,399.

this being especially true inview of the fact that under ordinary circumstances it is impossible to steer an airship except when the same is in motion, and even then requiring a wide circular sweep in making a turn. All this is obviated in my new type of ma- 'chine as a result not only of the particular shape of the composite gas retainer, `but also by the use of my new rotating basket or car.

One of theobjects of my invention is to provide a composite gas retainer made up of a large number of individual self-contained gas holding units, joined and held together by a wire cage structure, each unit being held to said wire cage by fastenings at each corner, whereby the units are held distended, rather than being permitted to collapse when puncture'd and further tend to expel the contained gas therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to i construct the gas container of a dirigible airship of double disk or circular wedge shape formation, so as to create a minimum wind resistance, and thus greatly reduce the danger of the ship being thrown off its course bv high winds, and also give a maximum eiiciency in quickly changing the course of the ship either in a horizontal or vertical direction. y i

A further object is to provide suitable steering mechanism and means to be manipulated from within the suspended car for quickly and positively altering the inclination of the gas container withvthe horizontal, whereby the airship can be' made to quickly ascend or descend as desired.

A still further' object of this invention is to so construct the pendant car that the airships horizontal course may be quickly changed by simply rotating the said car with its propeller and rudder and permitting the said gas retainer to remain in its original relative position.

Another object is to provide a dirigible airship with just suiiicient buoyancy to float its own weight., including a stabilizer car containing my propelling machinery, supplies, ammunition, armament, and passengers, and to leffect a raising or lowering of the ship in a vertical direction by means of horizontally revolving planes, thus eliminating the necessity of permitting the escape of gas to descend or throwing out ballast to ascend.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic stabilizer to keep the ship on an even keel, and means for propelling the airship longitudinally.

Another object is lto provide a gas container of such shape and construction that should all of the gas become liberated, the frame work and container fabric will constitute a practical parachute.

A still further object is to provide a novel and superior structure that is extremely light in weight, and at the same time exceedingly strong, one that cannot buckle or collapse, one that can be easily steered and managed, and is useful for commercial and militar purposes, including the dropping of bom s upon submarines, cities, warships, etc., and at the same time such a structure that can be quickly knocked down for transportation.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the following description proceeds.

W hile I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in the drawings, I desire it to be understood that the `same is susceptible of change and modiiication Without departing from the spirit of this invention, excepting as limited by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved airship showing the parts in assembled position.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the passenger car.

ig. 3 is a transverse verticalsectional view taken through the' center of my improved airship.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing thel interior construction of the passenger car.

Fig. 5'isva plan View of the helicopter gears located within the car, and showing the connections and arrangement for throwinsaid gears in and out of mesh.

ig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of several of the individual gas containing units.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view not drawn to any scale, and showing one of the gas containing units detached.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the tilting drum mechanism used in changing the angle of the composite gas bag with the horizontal.

Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse section through one of the drums of Fig. 8 and showing the driving mechanism therefor.

Fig. 14 is a detail View of the outer edge of the suspended car, and showing the bomb dropping mechanism.

My airship consists of a composite gas bag designated generally by A, which bag is composed of a yplurality of individual gas bags or units l, secured at each corner within the double saucer shaped cage, which is made up of a circular tube 2, the outer wires 3 of which are attached at one end to the rings 4 and 5, (see Fig. 3) and at the other end to the outer ring 2. These rings 4 and 5 are maintained rigidly in a separated position by the uprights 6, suitable connections being made between these parts. Wires 3 are tightly stretched between rings 4 and 5. The smaller gas bags 1 are securely fastened Iat their corners to the cage in such manner as to hold them distended whether filled with gas or not.

Positioned upon the uprights 6 is the frame work 7 Jfrom which is pivotally suspended the pendulum 8, on the lower end of which is secured the stabilizer or passenger car B. Formed upon this pendulum 8 and located above but adjacent to the car B and also below the lowermost portion of the gas container A are two yokes 9 land 10, which are positioned ati right angles to each other, the purpose for which yokes will appear as the description proceeds. The car B is composed of an outer ring 47 and wires 47 arranged in a manner similar to the rin 2 and wires 3 of the composite gas bag and is maintained in a rigid and secure position to the pendulum 8 by four braces 11, which are secured to the upper portion of the car, and to a point on the pendulum slightly above the uppermost yoke 9. The pendulum rod 8 extends into'th'e car a suitable distance to accommodate the sleeve 2O and yet stop short of the shaft 25. This construction holds the car rigidly in position on the pendulum, which pendulum by virtue of the pivoted mounting 13 at its upper end permits the composite gas bag A to have more or less of a tilting movement in relation to the car. At suitable opposite points on the main ring 2 is secured Athe cable 14 at each of its ends, which cable passes over and around the drum 15. As will be apparent upon rotation of this drum '15, the cable 14 will be correspondingly shortened on one side of said drum and lengthened on the other slide, which movement results in the tilting of the gas container A to any desired angle with the horizontal. This tilting movement can be further controlled by movements of asimilar cable positioned at right angles to cable 14 and passing around the drum 16, which is operated in a manner similar to the drum 15. The drums 15 and 16 each carry suitablegear teeth 17, (see Fig. 9) which teeth mesh with the worm gear 18, which is in turn driven through the shaft 19 by any suitable motive power. The drums are mounted within the yokes 9 and 10. Located upon the shaft 8 and within the car is a sleeve 20, (see. Fig. 4) mounted for rotation on said shaft, and held in position thereon by means of suitable collars 21 and 22. On the lower end of the sleeve 20 is rigidly secured the beveled gear 22', which is in turn driven by either the gear 23 or the gear 24, in accordance with the desired di llO rection of rotation, the gears 23- and 24 being slidably mounted by means of keys 23 and 24 upon the drive shaft 25 of the driving motor 26, which is located in a. suitable position in said car.

Located upon the upper end of the sleeve 20 is the horizontally rotating propeller 27,v

which is composed of suitable propelling blades 28 and 29. Rigidly secured to said car and surrounding the propeller is a` cylindrical casing 30, the purpose for which will later appear. The drive shaft 25 is mounted in suitable journals 31 and 32, and carries upon its forward end the main propeller 33, by means of which horizontal movement of the airship is accomplished. The main body of the'car is composed of the vertical rods 34 passing through the outer portions of the upper plate 35, and which rods carry at the lower ends the bottom plate 36. The braces 11, by which the main Weight ofthe car is carried, are attached at their lower ends to the plate 37, which plate is provided around its periphery with gear teeth 38. Between the plates 35 and 37 are located in suitable manner anti-friction de vices 37,', such as balls, rollers, or the like. Also mounted upon the circumference of the plate 35 is a shaft 39, which carries a gear 40, which gear meshes with the teeth 38 on the periphery of the plate 37. A suitable hand wheel 41 will be mounted on the lower end of the shaft 39. It will be seen that the main weight of the car is suspended upon the plate 37 through the braces 11, and that as a result of operating the gear 40 by means of the hand wheel 41, a turning movement can be imparted to the body of the car, and the car made to rotate with respect to the gas container A.

Pivotallymounted to the upper and lower portions of the car B is the rudder 42, said rudder being composed of a frame work consisting of the portion 43 and the vertical brace 44, the last two elements being secured together by suitable connections. Secured to the vertical brace 44 is a hollow sleeve 45, which is mounted for sliding' movement upon the rod or pipe 46, which rod-46 is constructed in the form of an arc of a circle of slightly greater radius than the outer frame .47 of the car, and which is slightly spaced from said frame 47, and suitably secured thereto at each end. Pulleys 48 are mounted near the ends of the curved rod 46, and by means of suitable ropes passing thereover, the desired adjustment is imparted to the rudder 42 by the occupant of the car. As shown, the rudder 42 is provided at its inner end with the notched portion 49 in order that it may clear the wedge shaped sides of the car B.

As shown in Fig. 5 the rotation of the horizontal propeller 27 in the desired direction is accomplished by means of the gears 23 and 24, the desired gear being thrown into mesh- -in the stabilizer car.l

ing engagement with the gear 22v by means of the lever 50 working upon the quadrant 51, which is mounted upon the cylinder 30. From the lever 50 extends the bar 52, which is secured to the operating bars 53 and 54, the ends of which are suitably mountedl in the grooves 55 and 56 of the gears 23 and 24, respectively. By this arrangement, ythe propeller can be made to rotate in either direction by throwing the appropriate gear into mesh,` and if desired both gears may be entirely disengaged from the gear 22 at the same time, so that no rotation whatever of the propeller blades will take place. The purpose of the cylinder 30 surrounding the propeller 27 is to compact the air and give the propeller blades greater propulsive force and release the air without meeting resistance to impact with the stabilizer car B. The well known tendency of rotating bodies to preserve the axis of rotation will assist the car B in acting as a stabilizer and force it to remain vin one position while the balloon can be tilted through the medium of the cables 14 and rotating drums -15 and 16 to any desired inclination with the horizontal.

Situated within suitable openings 57, (see Figs. 2 and 10), located around the .outer portion 61 of the frame work of the stabilizer car, are projectiles or bombs 58, which bombs may be released at will by means of cords 59 and a suitable releasing mechanism 60. The perforated portion 61 is in the form of a hollow plate and is situated just within the ring 47.

From the foregoing description, it will be s een that I have provided an airship of the dirigible type, the main Agas containerl of which is constructed of a circular wedge .or double saucer formation, as a result of which the resistance caused by the air is greatly reduced, and the eddy currents or resistance caused by the suction in the rear, which is so objectionable in the case of the cigar or blunt end balloons of the Zeppelin type. Another advantage of my type of construction is that the individual gas bags or units are securely held in position by fastenings at each corner, which particularly prevent the collapse of these units, even were the gas entirely released therefrom as a result of being puncturedl or ruptured unexpectedly. This enables the composite gas container to act as a parachute in case of the unexpected release of gas while in the air, and thus permits a safe landing. y .i It is my purpose to. fill my balloon with just sufficient gas to enable it to float in the air, and to provide for movement of the balloon in a vertical direction' 'by use of my j horizontally rotating propeller 27 mounted This eliminates the undesirable feature of releasing gas for the purpose of descending, or throwing out-.ballast for the purpose of ascending, the numllfi lll() ber of ascensions possible accordingly not being limited by the amount of ballast that can be carried.

The rotatable feature of my stabilizer car makes it possible to quickly change the course of my airship by simply rotating the car to the desired angle, whilethe gas container remains practically stationary, thus eliminating the necessty of making a wide circular sweep in turning. It will, therefore, be seen that a great amount of time will be saved in this respect, thus making quick turns possible.

My method of arranging the cells side by side and in a circle, makes lt practically impossible to puncture more than one cell at a time from below or above, and even when punctured the cell will not collapse or buckle up, it thus being obvious that my machine will be very useful for military purposes, at which times bombs may be dropped in aerial attack upon any place or fortress desired.

Upon the pendulum rod I may, if desired, install a suitable protractor whereby the angle of inclination of the composite gas bags A may be read and adj usted as desired. Also I may carry an instrument which will show the direction and angle ofthe wind,

l thus enabl`ng the operator to quickly tilt the machine to suit the direction of the wind.

Another important feature of my invention is that the horizontal propeller mounted in the stabilizer car enables the airship to travel to higher altitudes than either aeroplanes, or balloons, which release gas and ballast, the latter be'ng limited to the lifting power of gas' in the gas bag.

My ship is primarily designed to accompany merchant vessels through the submarine war zone, where they may hover and rem'ain over the vessel at such a height that observation can be made and communicated by wireless in all directions. My ship being able to travel e'ther at high speed or lloat as desired, can easily drop with great precision explosive shells upon a submarine without danger to itself, the submarine not being able to defend itself in any manner from an attack from above.

It is of course evident that I may also arrange any number of the individual gas containing units l within the frame work or cage of the passenger car, if desired, for

the purpose of adding to the buoyancy of4 the airship. Also the cylinder 30 and the elevating propeller 27, or either, may be omitted if desired. Upon om'ssion' of the elevating propeller 27, ascending or descending will be accomplished by tilting the airship up or down and driving the propeller 33.

Having now described `my invention, I claim Y l. An airship comprising a plurality of balloon units held together by means of and shell surrounding said propeller to protect the same from lateral air movements.

3. In an airship a balloon structure, a

pendulum rod universally pivoted to said,

structure whereby to permit swinging in all directions, a car on said rod, a propeller rotatably mounted upon said rod for rotation in a horizontal plane, means for rotating saidpropeller, and an open ended cylindrical shell surrounding said propeller to protect the same from lateral air movements.

4. An airship comprising a plurality of balloon units held together by means of and within a rigid double saucer shaped wire cage, said cage comprising uprights under compress'on and wlres under tension, and means for propelling same horizontally or vertically.

5. In an airship, the combination comprising a plurality of buoyant gas containers, a wirecage securing said containers in position, a car pvotally suspended by a universal joint from said cage, means for shifting the angular position of said cage with relation to said car in any direction, and means mounted in said car for propell'ng the airship in either a horizontal or vertical direction.

6. In an airship` a balloon structure comprising a cage having a central framework, comprising compression uprights of rod like form and a ring secured to the upper and lower ends of said uprights respectively, a larger ring substantially equally spaced from the first named rings, and tension wires tightly connecting said larger ring with said rst mentioned rlngs whereby said cage will be rigid at all times, and will furnish a rigid support for the gas containing structure. 7. In an airship, the combination of a rigid circular wire cage, a plurality of independent lgas cells securely positloned Within said cage, a car pivotally suspended by a universal joint from said cage, means for shifting the angular position of said cage with relation to said car, said car housing the propellers and po-wer units, thus acting as a stabilizer for maintaining an even keel for the balloon structure.

8. In a circular wedge shaped airship a wire cage comprising uprights under compression and wires under tension, a as bag in said cage, a rigid pendulum pivotally supported 'to said cage and capable of a universal `swinging movement, a car atllt ais

tached to said pendulum and serving as a stabilizer, and means for tilting said cage with relation'to said car while afloat.

9, In an airship the lcombination of a gas bag, a rigid circular -wire cage surround- `ing said bag, a stabilizer car pivotally suspended from said cage and containing propelling machinery, a vertically active cylindrical shell yin the center of said car and a vertical screw operating ina horizontal plane within said shell.

10. In an airship, a balloon structure comprising a cage having a central frame work, having compression uprights, a ring secured to the upper and lower ends of said up-rights respectively, a larger ring, and tension wires tightly connecting said larger ring with said first mentioned rings, whereby said cage will be rigid at all times, a. pendulum rod universally pivoted within said central frame, a car on said rod, and means to tilt said cage in any direction with relation to said car.

11. In an airship, the combination of a plurality of gas bags, a rigid double saucer shaped Wire frame surrounding said bags and comprising uprights under compression and wiresl under tension, eachbag being securely fastenedto said frame so as to remain in a distended position with or without supporting as whereby to provide an automatic parac ute upon sudden loss of as. g 12. In an airship comprising a plurality of gas containers, a circular double saucer shaped wire cage exteriorly surrounding said as containers', a double saucer shaped stabizer car pivotally suspended by means of a universal joint from said cage, means for shifting the wire cage with relation to said car and said car containing means for propelling said airship.

13. In an airship, a plurality of buoyant cells filled with v-a gas lighter than air, a double bevelled wire cage of circular form covering and holding together said cells, said cage presenting a horizontal wedge Y shaped edge to the wind, in combination with a pivotally suspended stabilizer car means for propelling the balloon vertically `and horizontally, means for tilting the balloon in any direction while afloat and means for revolving the entire car in lts relation to the buoyant structure.

14. A dirigible balloon in combination with a pivotally mounted stabilizer car having means for revolvingthe entire car in its relation to the car havin a vertically active screw protected from Iateral wind pressure by a cylindrical shell.

15. In a dirigible balloon, a as bag, `a cage surroundin said bag, a sta ilizer car pivotally suspen ed from said cage, means balloon structure said.

on said-car for revolving said car in its relation to said cage and bag, said car containing a central y disposed vertically active screw mounted in a cylindrical shell to .protect said screw against horizontal winds; a horizontal propeller, and means for independently operating said screw and propeller. 16. In an airship, a gas container of sufcient buoyanc to cause said airship to just and structural parts, a car pivotally secured to said gas ,container whereby` the center of gravity of said gas container can be shifted with relation to the car, mechanism for shifting the car and container relatively to each other, and a vertically active screw mounted `for horizontal rotation in said car, said screw being survrounded by an open-ended cylindrief/)JL shell.

17. In an airship, a gas containe'glrf sufiicient buoyancy to cause said airship to just` float its permanent load, a car pivotally secured to lsaid gas container, mechanism in said car -for moving the same about its pivots, a reversible propeller mounted for horizontal rotation in said car, whereby to overcome the variable-load, and cause said airship to rise or descend as desired, said propeller being surrounded by an openended cylindrical shell, and means in said car for causing rotation of said propeller in either direction as desired. n. i

18. In a circular wedge shaped airship, a gas bag, a cage surrounding said rigid pendulum pivotally supported to said cage, and capable of a universal swinging movement, a car attached to said endulum and serving as a stabilizer, means or tilting said cage with 'relation to said car while aoat, and a vertically active screw surrounded by an open ended cylindrical shell bag, a-

whereby to cause the air to travel in a vertical direction through the screw.

19. In an airshlp, a gas bag retaining cage, a rigid pendulum rod pivotally suspended therefrom by means of a universal joint, a stabilizer car ati ached to said y pendulum rod for maintaining an even keel, means for tilting said ca while afloat, said stabilizer car provided centrally with an open ended cylindrical shell to protect a vertically operated screw from loss of efficiency due to lateral air movement.

20. In an airship, a gas bag cage comprising an outer ring and a central frame work having uprights under compression, wires under tension connecting said ring with said central frame, a pendulum universally pivoted to said central frame at a point midge with relation to said car.

. I hereunto subscribe Certificate of Correction. It ls hereby certified that in Letters Patent N o. 1,451,503, Granted April l0, 1923,

upon the application of Henry A.'Goetz, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Drigible Airships, errors appear n the printed specification requiring correct-ion as follows; Page 2, 'line 54, for Fig. 14 read Fig. 1.0,' pa e 5, line 8, claimt), strike out the WordsI vertically attive and insert nstea lthe Word @e7-tical, and line 10, for the word vertical read vertically active," and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these Corrections' therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Ofice.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of May, A. D., 1923.

[SEAL] l KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

